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#1 Circle Alternative for Real-World Clubs

The Circle Alternative Built for Real-World Clubs

Circle.so is built for selling courses to online audiences. Your running club, book club, or sports team needs something different. Who's In Clubs gives you event scheduling, RSVP tracking, and membership management — all for $8.25/month.

By Craig Pollard, Founder & CEO · Reviewed July 2026

No credit card requiredSetup in 2 minutesFlat 2.7% platform fee on paid tickets

Is Who's In a Circle alternative?

Who's In is an affordable Circle alternative for clubs and membership organisations. Key differences: $8.25/month — no per-member platform fees. Purpose-built for real-world clubs. Member management, online bookings, payments and check-in live in one platform with simple, transparent pricing.

Why Organizers Are Switching from Circle

Circle is a content platform for course creators. For your real-world club, there's a simpler, cheaper, purpose-built alternative.

$39-199/month subscription

$8.25/month — no per-member platform fees

Designed for course creators, not clubs

Purpose-built for real-world clubs

Members must create accounts to join

No accounts needed — share a link

Online-first with no event RSVP

Event-first with RSVP & attendance tracking

Complex setup with steep learning curve

Live in 5 minutes

Content and course focus

Membership tiers, payments & group messaging

What Organizers Say on Trustpilot

"I love this app! It's perfect for organising events from walking groups to theatre trips, parties to weekends away. The plus one feature is brilliant. It takes all the stress out of organising events."

Mrs. A.

Social groups & walking clubs · Trustpilot review

"Setting up and sharing events is seamless. The intuitive customization options take the hassle out of organising."

Pontus Sonnerstedt

Community events · Trustpilot review

Everything You Need for Community Events — Without the Complexity

  • Membership management with tiers
  • Recurring events with auto-scheduling
  • Group messaging to all members
  • Stripe payments for dues & events
  • Attendance tracking per event
  • WhatsApp notifications & reminders
  • Member directory with roles
  • Club analytics & engagement insights
  • No member accounts needed — share a link
  • Mobile-first PWA — works on any device
  • Event photo albums + downloadable documents included free

What We Don't Have (On Purpose)

  • ×Course selling tools your club will never use
  • ×Content libraries and drip-feed modules
  • ×Branded apps that cost extra and add friction
  • ×Community feeds that replicate social media
  • ×Complex admin dashboards with a steep learning curve

We're built for club organizers who meet in the real world, not course creators selling content online.

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about switching from Circle

Why switch from Circle to Who's In Clubs?

Circle.so is built for online course creators who want to monetize digital communities. Who's In Clubs is purpose-built for real-world club organizers — running clubs, book clubs, sports teams, hobby groups — who need event scheduling, RSVP tracking, and attendance management. If your members meet in person, Who's In Clubs fits your workflow far better than Circle ever will.

How much does Who's In Clubs cost vs Circle?

Who's In Clubs costs $8.25/month for organizers, and members join with no per-member platform fees — no accounts needed. Circle starts at $39/month (Professional plan) and goes up to $199/month, plus your members must create accounts to participate. That's 4-20x more expensive before your members even join.

Do my members need to create accounts?

No. With Who's In Clubs, members RSVP and join events via a simple shared link — no account creation, no app download, no login required. This removes the biggest barrier to participation. Circle requires every member to create an account and log in, which kills casual participation.

Can I collect membership fees?

Yes. Who's In Clubs integrates with Stripe so you can set up membership tiers with recurring payments. Collect monthly or annual dues, charge for individual events, or keep everything free. Clubs have no platform fee on membership payments — we charge a flat $8.25/mo subscription and take nothing from your member dues.

Does Who's In Clubs have group messaging?

Yes. Built-in group messaging lets you communicate with all club members or specific membership tiers. Send event reminders, share updates, and coordinate logistics — all without needing a separate WhatsApp group or Slack workspace. Members receive notifications without needing an account.

Can I run recurring events?

Absolutely. Set up weekly runs, monthly book club meetings, biweekly game nights — whatever cadence your club follows. Recurring events auto-create with RSVP links, and members get reminders before each session. No need to manually create the same event every week like you would in Circle.

Built for Clubs That Meet in the Real World

$8.25/month for organizers. No per-member platform fees. No accounts, no app downloads, no course-creator bloat.

From $8.25/mo • No per-member platform fees • Cancel anytime